Honda GB500TT

[manxie]

In the past I`ve owned two XBR500`s, great bikes but always yearned after a GB500 TT. Has anyone got any experience with the GB or comparisons? On one of my XBR`s I had some stainless front pipes made for it and had a similar conversation with the fella who made them who thought although they are similar bikes, the XBR was just better? Just looking for opinions really fella`s, and who knows....if someone has a GB for sale??     Thanks

[SteveC#222]

I always think of the GB500 as the prettier sister, but essentially the GB is an XBR in an Armani suit!  There are some subtle differences between them but they are very similar underneath.  Strictly speaking I think the GB is slightly down on claimed BHP than the XBR - 44 for the XBR,  40 for the GB - but in real terms you probably wouldn't notice.

Price is a different matter - £2000 will buy you a really nice low mileage XBR but you'll need twice that for the same GB if not more - an unregistered 0 mile GB was auctioned at Stafford last year for £10K!!! There is one on Ebay at the moment for £5500!

The GB is a really nice looking bike, but worth that much more than an XBR.....I'm not convinced.

[manxie]

Thanks for your reply. I absolutely agree with everything you`ve said and I even thought about converting an XBR into a GB but although the differences are subtle, it would be a nightmare to do. When I was looking, and if the part was available, the prices were silly...lots in the US. The tank is different, seat, mudguards, indicators etc all different. This is the one I like ....
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_GB500#/media/File:Honda_GB500_Clubman_Rechts.jpg

Thanks again.

[tommy]

I think the gb 500 tt is one of the nicest motorcycles ever built ,and always wanted one but they were very rare in Ireland ,anyway about 6-7 years ago I had done a deal to buy a fireblade and got to the shop with the 3 grand in cash ,they guy was off doing the paper work when I noticed a gb 500 tt it was mint ,asking about it he told me it  just got in as a trade in its a clean bike has to be worth a 1500 quid ,, as I had done the deal and had a xbr 500 I let it go  ,I,m still sicken that I didn't get that gb  ,but the money they are going for now is crazy , tommy
ps talking about crazy prices I see someone paid 7and a half grand for james mays fizzy

[SteveC#222]

If you had the SJ model with the wire wheels you could make a pretty good stab at it.  Different indicators and mudguards would be fairly easy. I think Carbon Moto do a GB ish seat unit and you probably wouldn't notice the tank unless they were side by side but again, is it really worth the cost? Unless you were doing it for yourself as a keeper probably not worth it as it wouldn't be a GB so the classic crowd wouldn't be interested and at the same time it would be too modified for anyone looking for a nice standard XBR.  The GB is very pretty, but I also think the XBR has a certain '80's style ( apart from those stupid flappy indicators!).

This is a nice one

[SteveC#222]

ps talking about crazy prices I see someone paid 7and a half grand for james mays fizzy

Fizzy prices are mad! 2 or 3 years ago really nice restored ones were going for £4500!!!   EVERYONE had one when I was a yoof! .....mind you everyone also went on to buy 250 LC's and how many of those do you see.

[manxie]

Recently sold my numbers matching 4lo 350LC, well about a year ago, another one I should have kept but it`s not like I`m 18 any more, I don`t think I would have lasted long on it. One of my XBR`s was the SJ model with the wire wheels but I do like things right and if I had of cloned it, I would have definitely needed the GB stuff to fit to it (expensive) Funny you should mention a GB in Ireland. Again, about a year ago I was enquiring about a minter which had lived on the Isle of Man at some point in its life, from memory it was £4500, sadly someone local in Ireland saw it and bought it. 

 

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[manxie]

If you had the SJ model with the wire wheels you could make a pretty good stab at it.  Different indicators and mudguards would be fairly easy. I think Carbon Moto do a GB ish seat unit and you probably wouldn't notice the tank unless they were side by side but again, is it really worth the cost? Unless you were doing it for yourself as a keeper probably not worth it as it wouldn't be a GB so the classic crowd wouldn't be interested and at the same time it would be too modified for anyone looking for a nice standard XBR.  The GB is very pretty, but I also think the XBR has a certain '80's style ( apart from those stupid flappy indicators!).

This is a nice one





VERY NICE, LOOKS LIKE AN XBR THOUGH? 

[SteveC#222]

Yeah, i know what your saying...I still like my old XBR though.

Theres a 'cheap' (£2.5K) GB here but it looks like it needs some work.

Ebay 151704765526

[manxie]

Don`t get me wrong, I love the XBR`s they are brilliant bikes and would most definitely have another    It would be interesting to find someone who`s owned both, ran both and had to buy parts for both, just to see how they compared? There`s probably very little in it but baring in mind the GB is an import, are there any problems?  Dunno 

[Propellor]

ps talking about crazy prices I see someone paid 7and a half grand for james mays fizzy

Fizzy prices are mad! 2 or 3 years ago really nice restored ones were going for £4500!!!   EVERYONE had one when I was a yoof! .....mind you everyone also went on to buy 250 LC's and how many of those do you see.

My direction to work has been a bit different the past month, but each day I see a young lad on a "fizzy". It looks in excellent nick, but there's no way it's in standard tune, or maybe even not the standard cc. It flies uphill! Hee Hee.

[Moto63]

Yes I know when I started looking about three years ago at getting an XBR again (owned two back in the 80's) I thought about getting a GB mainly for the looks, bit sportier etc. soon realised they seemed very over priced for what is pretty much a make over of the XBR. I even went to the trouble of making up some fibreglass side panels similar to the gb's and forming the seat hump /pan, soon realised again that ultimately it was still an XBR and not a GB. That's when I decided to go the whole 9 yards and build a full on cafe racer, I ended up with a fully rebuilt motor complete with high comp piston and brand new mikuni carb (professionally done) and full one off stainless exhaust  a complete ground up rebuild on the whole bike and all for approx the same price as the average GB. I know which I wud rather own and more importantly ride.   Michael

[manxie]

sounds like a nice bit of kit....any photo`s? 

[Moto63]

High manxie, I don,t know how to post photo,s on the site, however I noticed the the day that my bike now appears in google images. Type in HONDA XBR CAFE RACER. Don,t put honda XBR 500 in there ( mines not 500 now you see but approx 560cc) click on images scroll down a few photo,s and mine is the one with the white tank and black seat ump, on a paddock stand, think there,s a couple of photo,s on there. Be interested to see what you think. Regards Michael

[manxie]

Looks lovely!!! Great pics on your web site too !!! Now I know why you`d rather ride this 560cc than a GB! Would you like me to add the picture of your bike?